Extended reach placement of wellbore completions

ABSTRACT

A self-actuated cyclical flow interruption valve on a deployment tool is positioned at a proximal end of a well completion assembly. Fluid is pumped though the self-actuated cyclical flow interruption valve and vented immediately distal of the valve, to return to surface of the well. A water hammer pulse is generated each time the self-actuated cyclical flow interruption valve closes, thereby generating an impact force that acts to push the completion equipment distally into the well. The continuous cyclic force of the impact facilitates placement of the completion equipment where desired in the well, including within a horizontal extension of the well. Fluid discharged through the self-actuated cyclical flow interruption valve circulates up to the surface through a vertical and inclined section of the well.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication, Ser. No. 61/672,160 filed on Jul. 16, 2012 and U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 12/957,049 filed on Nov. 30,2010, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to placement of wellbore completions.

2. Description of the Related Art

Downhole drilling operations have seen use of well casings for sometime. After a well is drilled, casings are inserted into the borehole toprovide structural integrity to the borehole. Casings are often made upof sections of steel pipe that connect end-to-end as they are insertedinto the borehole. Many wells that are drilled require a casing, andtypically as the depth of the well increases, the diameter of successivesections of the casing decreases. A final completion, which mayincorporate a casing section, screens, liners, valves or othercomponents, is often required in the producing formation.

Often a borehole that begins as a vertical well will be extended in ahorizontal direction, for example, to reach a petroleum reservoir thatis disposed in a region laterally offset relative to the verticalportion of the well. In such wells, there is a need to ensure placementof completion equipment in the horizontal portion, and the horizontalextension can be relatively long.

In addition, various types of downhole vibratory tools have been usedfor through-tubing well intervention operations, including cleaning andmilling operations inside liners after they are placed. It would bedesirable to provide a specialized tool that can assist in the placementof completion equipment such as liners, screens, valves, patches, plugs,packers, velocity strings, diverters, flow control devices, monitoringequipment, whipstocks or any other equipment in the horizontal portionof a borehole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and method to facilitate theplacement of completion equipment or other similar equipment using afluid actuated valve that helps push the equipment into the well. Theexemplary embodiment of the system facilitates placement of completionequipment using a tool that includes a self-actuated cyclical flowinterruption valve as the fluid actuated valve of the system. Theself-actuated flow interruption valve can be placed on a deployment toollocated at the top of the completion equipment. In the preferredembodiment the tool is releasably attached to the completion equipment.The valve and attached completion equipment are placed in positiondownhole, fluid is then pumped though the self-actuated flowinterruption valve and vented to return to surface. The pulse that isgenerated when the self-actuated flow interruption valve closes createsan impact that acts to push the completion equipment distally into thewell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects and attendant advantages of one or more exemplaryembodiments and modifications thereto will become more readilyappreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to thefollowing detailed description, when taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary system forextended reach completion placement including a self-actuated cyclicalflow tool.

FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary system forextended reach completion placement including a self-actuated cyclicalflow tool showing a pulse valve in the open state during completionplacement.

FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary system forextended reach completion placement including a self-actuated cyclicalflow tool showing a pulse valve in the closed state during completionplacement.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary system forextended reach completion placement including a self-actuated cyclicalflow tool showing the completion after landing the liner hanger at thebottom of the casing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary system forextended reach completion placement including a self-actuated cyclicalflow tool showing the retrieval of the deployment tools.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a shear pin releasemechanism of an exemplary system for extended reach completionplacement.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a reverse thread releasemechanism of an alternate system for extended reach completionplacement.

FIG. 7 shows an example of a water hammer impulse force time history ofa system for extended reach completion placement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced Figures of thedrawings. It is intended that the embodiments and Figures disclosedherein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. Nolimitation on the scope of the technology that follows is to be imputedto the examples shown in the drawings and discussed herein.

The present invention provides a system and method to facilitate theplacement of completion equipment or other similar equipment using afluid-actuated valve that helps push the equipment into the well. Theexemplary embodiment of the system facilitates placement of completionequipment using a tool that includes a self-actuated cyclical flowinterruption valve as the fluid-actuated valve of the system. Theself-actuated flow interruption valve can be placed on a deployment toollocated at the top of the completion equipment. The completion equipmentis fed into the well using deployment tubing. Fluid is then pumpedthough the self-actuated flow interruption valve and vented immediatelybelow the valve to return to surface. The “water hammer pulse” that isgenerated when the self-actuated flow interruption valve closes createsan impact that acts to push the completion equipment distally into thewell. Fluid discharged through the tool circulates up the vertical andinclined sections of the well, which is typically a larger diametercased hole than the completion that is being placed. A portion of theflow, such as may be required for hole conditioning and lubrication,could be pumped into the liner during this procedure. The flow into thecompletion would be limited to prevent premature actuation of anypressure actuated completion equipment, such as packers and sleevevalves.

In an exemplary embodiment of this tool, a self-piloted hydraulic valve,such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,237,701 and 7,139,219, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/957,049, and in other commonly assigned pendingpatent applications, can be included on a deployment tool that isdisposed on top of the liner. U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/957,049 is herein incorporated by reference. However, it is notintended that the tool be limited to use of the self-piloted hydraulicvalve disclosed in these patents, since other types of self-actuatedfluid valves can alternatively be used to create water hammer pulses orvibration.

Referring to FIG. 1, the system for extended reach deployment 10 isshown during deployment from a drill rig 20. The completion mayincorporate equipment such as screens, perforated tubing, casing andmultistage fracture completions containing multiple sliding valves andball seats any of which may be deployed by such a system. The system isdesigned to overcome the challenges of inserting the completion into anextended-reach horizontal openhole and into deviated wells with atortuous wellpath including toe-up or high dogleg severity where slidingfriction can hamper full deployment of the completion. The completionmust generally be deployed through casing 30 that extends from surfaceto some depth. FIG. 1 shows a well that is cased 40 in the verticalsection 50 with an openhole curve and horizontal section 60, but morecomplex geometries, including multiple telescopic casing strings, arecommon and this figure is not meant to be limiting in regard to wellgeometry.

The completion 70 is supported by a liner hanger 80 that is designed tolatch into and seal with a casing profile 150 at the bottom of thecasing 40. In the preferred embodiment, the liner hanger 80 is coupledto a release mechanism 90 just below a self-actuated cyclic flowinterruption valve or impulse valve 100. Also in a preferred embodiment,this valve is of the pilot and poppet design disclosed in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/957,049. The valve is in turn supported on adeployment string 110 typically comprising joints of tubing that aredeployed into the well by a drill rig 20 as shown or a workover rig orby a continuous string of coiled tubing. The deployment string 110 mayinclude a section of heavy walled tubing to provide additional weight topush the completion though the curve and into the horizontal section ofthe well 50. These rigs include a rotary table 120 as shown or a topdrive that is capable of rotating the deployment string 110. Fluid pumps130 are provided and are connected to supply fluid to the deploymentstring 110 through a swivel 140. A coiled tubing rig may also beemployed although this equipment does not allow rotation of thedeployment string.

FIG. 1 shows the system 10 being lowered into a well with the completion70 part way through the curved section of the openhole with no fluidflowing. Friction forces increase as the completion 70 enters the curveand horizontal section and the weight of the deployment string 110 maynot be sufficient to push the completion 70 to bottom. At this pointfluid can be pumped by pump 130 though swivel 140 and through thedeployment string 110 as shown by arrows in FIG. 2A. The fluid flowsthrough the pulse valve 100 and is discharged into the well above therelease mechanism 90 to return to surface. Although not shown, some flowmay also be discharged into the completion for well conditioning.Surface valves and equipment for handling the return flow are well knownand are not shown.

FIG. 2A shows the pulse valve 100 in the open position with all fluidbeing discharged. FIG. 2B shows the impulse valve 100 in the closedposition. Closing the valve 100 stops the flow of fluid and results in awater hammer impulse force shown by the large open arrow actingdownwards at the valve 100. The water hammer impulse force isproportional to the mass flow rate of the fluid. An example of thecyclic impulse forces generated by the valve 100 as described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/957,049, with a 2-78″ outer diameter, andwhile operating at 3 bbl per minute water flow rate, is shown in FIG. 7.The cyclic impulse forces act on the top of the completion 70 and driveit into the well.

FIG. 3 shows the completion 70 after it has reached bottom. At thispoint the liner hanger 80 engages the casing profile 150 and latches inplace to prevent reverse motion or rotation. The design of liner hangers80 and casing profiles 150 are well known and not described in detailhere. A variety of liner hangers 80 and casing profiles 150 may bedeployed depending on the well requirements. Referring to FIG. 3, fluidpumping has stopped and the deployment string is now released using therelease mechanism 90. A shear pin type of release mechanism 90 is shownin FIG. 5. Once the liner hanger 80 is latched, overpull on thedeployment string 110 will shear the pins 160 and allow retrieval of thedeployment string 110, pulse valve 100 and release mechanism 90 as shownin FIG. 4. The release mechanism 90 may also incorporate reverse, lefthand, threads to engage the liner hanger 80 as shown in FIG. 6. For thisembodiment, right-handed rotation of the deployment string 110 willdisengage the release mechanism 90 from the liner hanger 80 and allowretrieval to surface. More complex latch and release mechanisms are alsoin common use for tool release of the completion and may be employed torelease the deployment string 110. The two options shown here are notmeant to be limiting as other release mechanisms may be deployed withthe extended reach deployment system 10.

Other exemplary embodiments (not shown) can use a plurality offluid-actuated valves that are designed to interrupt the flow of fluidthough tubing and to then impart an impact or cause a vibration due tothe resulting water hammer effect. Multiple tools of this type can alsobe placed at different levels in the deployment string to increase theaction of the tools.

Although the concepts disclosed herein have been described in connectionwith one or more exemplary form of practicing them and modificationsthereto, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that manyother modifications can be made thereto. Accordingly, it is not intendedthat the scope of these concepts in any way be limited by the abovedescription.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for placing a completion into anopenhole section of well below a well casing, comprising the steps of:(a) inserting a completion string connected to a liner hanger having arelease mechanism section into a well, (b) inserting a flow cyclingvalve connected to a deployment string into a well, (c) activating afluid pump on the surface to pump fluids downhole to the flow cyclingvalve disposed proximally of the completion string to generate one ormore pressure pulses, (d) applying the force caused by the one or morepressure pulses to advance the completion distally into the well untilthe flow cycling valve and the liner hanger encounter a casing profile,and (e) causing the release mechanism to release from the liner hanger,thereby completing the placement of the completion in the well.
 2. Themethod for placing a completion into an openhole section of well below awell casing as described in claim 1, further comprising the step of: (a)latching the liner hanger when it encounters the casing profile, and (b)causing the release mechanism, where the release mechanism is a shearpin release type, to release by creating overpull on the deploymentstring.
 3. The method for placing a completion into an openhole sectionof well below a well casing as described in claim 1, further comprisingthe step of: (a) latching the liner hanger when it encounters the casingprofile, and (b) causing the release mechanism, where the releasemechanism is a reverse, left hand thread release type, to release byrotating the deployment string.
 4. The method for placing a completioninto an openhole section of well below a well as described in claim 1,further comprising the step of: (a) removing the deployment stringconnected to the flow cycling valve and a released portion of therelease mechanism, thereby completing the completion installation in thewell.
 5. The method for placing a completion into an openhole section ofwell below a well casing as described in claim 1, wherein the flowcycling valve is a pulse valve.
 6. The method for placing a completioninto an openhole section of well below a well as described in claim 5,wherein the pulse valve is a pilot and poppet water hammer valve.
 7. Asystem for placing a completion into an openhole section of well below awell casing, comprising: a completion string connected to a liner hangerhaving a release mechanism section, a flow cycling valve connected to adeployment string and disposed proximally of the completion string, anda fluid pump on the surface to pump fluids downhole to the flow cyclingvalve to thereby generate one or more pressure pulses, the flow cyclingvalve positioned so the force of the pulses serves to advance thecompletion distally into the well.
 8. The system of claim 7 wherein therelease mechanism section is a shear pin type release mechanism and therelease mechanism section is disposed between the completion and theflow cycling valve.
 9. The system of claim 7 wherein the releasemechanism section incorporates a reverse thread that engages thecompletion and external features on the proximal end of the completionthat engage features at the end of the casing thereby preventingrotation of the completion but allowing for the rotation a releasableportion of the release mechanism section.
 10. The system of claim 8wherein said release mechanism is coupled to the completion with shearpins and the external features on proximal end of the completion engagefeatures on distal end of the casing thereby preventing axial motion ofthe completion.
 11. The system of claim 7 wherein the flow cycling valveis a pilot and poppet water hammer valve.
 12. A system for placing acompletion into an openhole section of well below a well casing,comprising: a completion string connected to a liner hanger having arelease mechanism section, a pulse valve connected to a deploymentstring and disposed proximally of the completion string, and a fluidpump on the surface to pump fluids downhole to the pulse valve tothereby generate one or more pressure pulses, the pulse valve positionedso the force of the pulses serves to advance the completion distallyinto the well.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein the release mechanismsection is a shear pin type release mechanism and the release mechanismsection is disposed between the completion and the pulse valve.
 14. Thesystem of claim 12 wherein the release mechanism section incorporates areverse thread that engages the completion and external features on theproximal end of the completion that engage features at the end of thecasing thereby preventing rotation of the completion but allowing forthe rotation a releasable portion of the release mechanism section. 15.The system of claim 13 wherein said release mechanism is coupled to thecompletion with shear pins and the external features on proximal end ofthe completion engage features on distal end of the casing therebypreventing axial motion of the completion.
 16. The system of claim 12wherein the pulse valve is a pilot and poppet water hammer valve. 17.The system of claim 13 wherein the pilot and poppet water hammer valveis configured such that the poppet is reciprocally moveable between aclosed position, in which it at least partially blocks pressurized fluidflow from the fluid pump on the surface from flowing through a poppetseat of the poppet, and an open position, in which pressurized fluidflows through the throat of the poppet seat, the valve creating apressure pulse each time the poppet moves to the closed position. 18.The system of claim 12 further comprising a swivel allowing for rotationof the deployment string.
 19. The system of claim 12 further comprisinga casing profile, the liner hanger configured to latch on the casingprofile as the completion string reaches an installation position in thewell.